Development of a Composite Sustainability Index for Roadway Intersection Design Alternatives in the UAE

Maryam J. Al-Kaabi, Munjed A. Maraqa and Yasser S. Hawas
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Maryam J. Al-Kaabi: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Buraimi, P.O. Box 100, P.C. 518 Al Buraimi Governorate, Sultanate of Oman
Munjed A. Maraqa: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551 Al Ain, UAE
Yasser S. Hawas: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551 Al Ain, UAE

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Many studies have been carried out to evaluate the sustainability of transportation systems, but little attention has been given for the design of roadway intersections. This study aimed to establish a framework and develop a tool to assess the sustainability of roadway intersections from a road-user perspective. Sustainability indicators at the strategic level were extracted from the literature and were utilized with relative weights to develop economic, environmental, and social indices that would be combined into a composite sustainability index (CSI) tool. The tool was applied to four case studies of intersections in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. For each case study, the sustainability of fifteen design alternatives was evaluated for different scenarios of traffic volume and operational speed. Dimensional indices and the overall CSI were determined using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making method. Results indicated that traffic volume had a significant impact on intersection sustainability ranking, while the effect of operational speed was insignificant. Moreover, weight assignment had an effect on determining the most sustainable design alternative, where the best alternatives of the dimension with the major weight would most likely be the most sustainable. The developed tool would assist decision-makers in other cities to assess intersection projects that correspond to their regional goals.

Keywords: sustainable transport planning; road intersections design; Multi-Criteria Decision Making method; United Arab Emirates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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